Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130947 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 436(@300wpm)
“Well, go ahead. I thought you were starving.”
She looked up to see him watching her, black eyebrows raised in anticipation. Oh my God, I’m actually going to have to eat it! Her stomach rolled at the thought.
“You, uh, gave me so much I don’t know where to begin,” she lied weakly.
“Only one piece.” He frowned. “Is it too much?”
“It’s just a little more than I’m used to. Uh, on Earth we cut a pizza into eight or ten wedges.” And we don’t top it with fruit cocktail!
“I can cut it into smaller pieces if you want,” he offered.
“No, no. That’s okay. I’ll make do.” There was no putting it off anymore. Taking a deep breath, Liv lifted the huge sloppy slice and forced herself to take a bite.
“You like it?” Baird stared at her suspiciously.
“Mmm, delicious,” Liv mumbled, fighting her gag reflex. Inside her mouth the flavors of canned salmon, lima beans, and fruit cocktail were fighting and she wondered how in the world she would swallow without throwing up. But the big warrior was still watching her carefully for her reaction and she didn’t want to insult him. With a monumental effort she choked down the mess and prayed it wouldn’t come back up.
“So it’s good?” he asked again.
“Unforgettable,” Liv assured him which for once was the absolute truth.
“Glad you like it.” Baird lifted his own piece of pizza and, keeping his eyes on her the entire time, took a huge bite. But when he started to chew, his face turned a peculiar shade of red. “Gods!” Getting up from the table in a hurry, he ran to the sink and spat out the mouthful. Then he turned back to Liv. “That was fuckin’ horrible. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Liv shrugged, not sure if she should laugh or feel sorry for him. “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”
“I’d rather have my feelings hurt than eat that slop.” Baird frowned. “I don’t understand what you humans see in that dish anyway.”
“Well…” Liv tried to think of a way to put it tactfully. “We don’t always make it exactly like that.” She nodded at the half a pizza she’d put back down on the metal serving tray.
“But I did everything the clerk told me to,” Baird protested. “He said it was mistake proof. That anyone could do it.”
“Anyone can do it. You just put a little too much on it, that’s all.”
“Damn it to hell.” Baird sighed. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I wanted to make all your favorites—the things I saw you eating in my dreams. It was between this and that other stuff you like with the raw sea creatures rolled in the white grains. I thought this would be easier.”
“Sushi?” Liv bit her lip to keep from laughing. “You were going to try and make me sushi?” As badly as he’d screwed up the pizza, she couldn’t imagine what his version of sushi would look like. Visions of a whole dead fish coated in sticky rice and rolled in peas and carrots instead of roe rose to mind. Ugh.
Baird shrugged. “I wanted to. I wanted to make you something special every night. But I guess I’m not very good at cooking human food. Sorry.” He sounded so crestfallen and his broad shoulders slumped so sadly that Liv couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
She rose and went to put a hand lightly on his arm. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m sure if I tried to make Kindred cuisine I wouldn’t do any better.”
Baird shook his head. “I’ve failed. Part of the claiming period is knowing how to prepare the foods your bride craves.”
“Well right now what I’m craving is pizza,” Liv said firmly. “Do you still have any of the ingredients left?”
“Of course.” Baird nodded at the table. “I got enough to make five or six like that.”
“Five or six?” Liv stared at him, wide-eyed. “To eat all at once?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t know how hungry you might be.”
“Not hungry enough to eat five or six large pizzas,” Liv assured him. “But one might be nice if it’s made right. Come on, get out the stuff and I’ll show you.”
Working together, they had a new pizza that consisted only of crust, sauce and cheese assembled in no time. Liv tactfully steered Baird away from the fruit cocktail, which he thought might be good as a single topping, explaining that she liked her pizza plain. Very, very plain. She watched with interest as he demonstrated how to work his version of an oven and explained that it got hot enough to burn off a hand and had to be used with care. When it only took about three seconds to cook the new pizza Liv was amazed but she couldn’t help noticing that Baird was frowning and shaking his head.